The Edinburgh fringe has almost 4,000 shows – what does it take for a standup to stand out?

The city is plastered with festival posters during August. If you want to make an impression, beware goofy grins and try channelling Charli xcxThe Edinburgh fringe is in full swing and I’m looking for my posters. Which, given the function of a poster, doesn’t bode well for the marketing of my new st

The city is plastered with festival posters during August. If you want to make an impression, beware goofy grins and try channelling Charli xcx

The Edinburgh fringe is in full swing and I’m looking for my posters. Which, given the function of a poster, doesn’t bode well for the marketing of my new standup hour. The festival has almost 4,000 shows, all jostling for attention, so bringing promotional material to the city this month can feel like chucking wads of cash into the sea.

This year, my show is called My Apologies to the Chef, so I’ve gone with a photo in which I’m doing a kooky grin as my head is served on a silver platter under a cloche. Hilarious stuff, yes, but I feel apprehensive about the theme – largely because my show includes no mention of chefs or catering. Registration for the fringe typically happens around March, when a show might have included a large section about restaurants, for example, which has since been removed. It’s how you end up with an aesthetic that is far more culinary than is ideal.